Coco Gauff was supposed to be one of the American stars of the 2024 Olympics.
That premise suffered a huge setback on Tuesday, while Gauff broke down in tears again at Roland Garros as her bid for gold dramatically ended in Paris at the Summer Games.
During a heated third-round match against Croatia’s Donna Vekic, Gauff became visibly angry. with the umpire.
A scene similar to the recent French
Open played out, as Gauff challenged a call and then couldn’t contain her emotions.
“This is not fair,” Gauff said. “You guys are not fair to me. I hope that one day the game becomes fair, but it’s not.”
After dropping the first set 7-6 (7), Gauff fell 6-2 in the second and was knocked out of women’s singles play in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Gauff said that a call was made early, which was similar to her frustrations while playing Iga Swiatek at the 2024 French Open in June.
“They’re booing because they know you are wrong,” Gauff said then.
On Tuesday, the 20-year-old American hit a serve and watched Vekic’s return land near the baseline.
After a line judge called the return out, Gauff didn’t keep the ball in play.
But chair umpire Jaume Campistol believed that Vekic’s return had safely landed in, and instead awarded the Croatian the point.
With Gauff trailing 4-2 and facing a stunning Olympic knock out, she walked over and began a tense conversation that lasted several minutes.
“I never argue these calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball,” Gauff said. “It’s not even a perception — it’s the rules. I always have to advocate for myself.”
Gauff is the No. 2 ranked women’s player in the world.
She has seven singles titles, has earned more than $15 million in career prize money, and won the 2023 US Open.
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